May 2008 Meeting &

Plant of the Month Competition

Arizona - Part 2

It was good to see Graham back again to tell us more on Arizona, so with joy we settled down to part two.

He started by showing us the natural erosion of 160 million years in the monument valley which was lived in by the Nevio Indians. It was their sacred land and there were lots of deep canyons.

Next visit was to the Thomson Gardens, which was set up in 1924 by Boyce Thomson. There was a wonderful Yucca collection. Also Aloes. As there had been no rain for six months, these was the only desert flowers. There were also the Bottle brush shrub, Yuccas, Mesembs, Agaves & Opuntias,

The next place to visit was sunset crater, which last erupted in C1250. Then on to Walnut Canyon, with lots of cacti, Yuccas, Mammillarias and small seedlings 1 1/2 inches in size. It was then on to Oak creek Canyon, near Sedonya. Nearby were a church and a castle built into the rock face with natural tofa bridge in the park. He saw a Cristate Senirio which is pollinated by bats, and a wrens nest in one of the holes in the plant of a organ pipe cactus, also Melocactus.

After the break we had something very different. Graham told us about the Grand Canyon, 1904 square miles in Arizona which in 1919 became a National Park. We then went into a musical travelogue, starting at sunrise at 4am and finishing at sunset at 7pm. Graham told us to sit back and watch the slides with just the music of 'The Grand Canyon suite' composed by Ferdinand Grofe, so peaceful and with wonderful photography, a really excellent double talk for which we thank Graham very much